Newsletter March 2008

Newsletter March 2008

Welcome to the March 2008 edition of the EPHA Newsletter.
This month was the first opportunity to gauge the commitment and priorities of the Health Commissioner-designate. On 1 April, Commissioner Vassiliou appeared before the European Parliament to answer questions from Parliamentarians on the work of her Directorate. It was not an easy hearing: the MEPs were well-prepared and challenging in their questions, particularly on health services, and it was clear that her experience as a (...)

Secretariat News March 2008

EPHA working meetings
March 2008 EPHA Policy Coordination Meeting (PCM)
The second PCM of 2008 was held on 5 March. The PCM, normally held every 6 weeks, is an opportunity for members to exchange information and views on the most up-to-date policy information. The Secretariat provides the minutes for the meetings and discusses recent developments relevant to the EPHA membership. The various EPHA Working Groups report back to the PCM on advocacy and communication activity relevant to their (...)

Spotlight on the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative

http://www.iavi.org/
Who are we?
IAVI is a global not-for-profit, public-private partnership working to accelerate the development of a vaccine to prevent HIV infection and AIDS. Founded in 1996, IAVI researches and develops vaccine candidates, conducts policy analyses, and serves as an advocate for the field. IAVI has offices in Africa, Europe, India and the US.
What is our mission?
IAVI’s mission is to ensure the development of safe, effective, accessible, preventive HIV (...)

MHE new publication:"From Exclusion to Inclusion – The Way Forward to Promoting Social Inclusion of People with Mental Health Problems"

Funded by the European Commission Community Action Programme to Combat Social Exclusion 2002-2006, Mental Health Europe (MHE) issued a new publication, "From Exclusion to Inclusion – The Way Forward to Promoting Social Inclusion of People with Mental Health Problems". The report focuses on the social inclusion of people with mental health problems across the 27 Member States of the European Union.
Given the high level of stigma, discrimination and social exclusion experienced by (...)

Spotlight on Thalassaemia International Federation (TIF)

thalassaemia@cytanet.com.cy
Who are we?
Thalassaemia International Federation (TIF) is a non-profit, non-governmental patient-driven organisation founded in 1986 and working in official relations with the World Health Organization (WHO) since 1996. TIF is registered as a charity under Cyprus law and has its headquarters in Nicosia.
The Federation is governed by an 18-member Board of Directors, 50 percent of whom are patients with thalassaemia. The educational work of TIF is supported by an (...)

Spotlight on Global Alliance for TB Drug Development (TB Alliance)

Who are we?
The Global Alliance for TB Drug Development (TB Alliance) is a not-for-profit, product development partnership accelerating the discovery and development of new TB drugs that will shorten treatment, be effective against susceptible and resistant strains, be compatible with antiretroviral therapies used for HIV/AIDS, and improve treatment of latent infection.
What is our mission?
Our mission is to develop new, faster and better TB drugs that are affordable and accessible to (...)

Spotlight on Mental Health Europe (MHE)

http://www.mhe-sme.org/en.html
Who are we?
Mental Health Europe (MHE) is a European level non-governmental organisation (NGO) and network committed to the promotion of positive mental health and well-being, the prevention of mental disorders, the improvement of care, advocacy for social inclusion and the protection of the human rights of people with mental health problems and their families and carers. MHE was established in 1985 and its Secretariat is based in Brussels (Belgium).
Who do we (...)

Results published of study into how to advance the AIDS vaccine pipeline

http://www.iavi.org/ The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative commissioned the George Institute for International Health to undertake a study to discover what would advance the AIDS vaccine pipeline.
With over 33 million people now living with HIV and millions more people becoming infected every year, the search for a vaccine is a critical part of a comprehensive and sustainable response to HIV. And there is good scientific evidence to suggest that an AIDS vaccine is possible.
The (...)

EPHA position on the Green Paper on Urban Mobility

The European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) showed its support for the detailed response submitted by our member, European Heart Network, on the Green Paper on Urban Mobility launched by the Directorate-General for Energy and Transport.
Both responses are included.
For further information
Green Paper on Urban Mobility.
Directorate-General for Energy and Transport
EPHA related articles
EPHA presentation on Urban health - North West England Health (...)

"Time for action-towards sustainable consumption and production in Europe"

The report "Time for action-towards sustainable consumption and production in Europe", summarizes the recommendations of the event on "Sustainable Consumption and Production in Europe" held in Ljubljana, Slovenia, back in September last year. The report emphasizes the necessity to step up efforts towards sustainable consumption and production.
Nearly one hundred experts, representing governments, research institutions, non-government organizations (NGOs), business and international (...)

**UPDATED** 1 April 2008: European Parliament hearing of Health Commissioner Androula Vassiliou

Following the resignation of Commissioner Kyprianou, a hearing was held on 1 April 2008 to confirm the appointment of his replacement, Mrs Vassiliou in the European Parliament .
On 29 February 2008, the Council of the European Union decided by written procedure to appoint Mrs Vassiliou as European Commissioner for Health, from 3 March 2008 to the end of the current Commission’s term of office, on 31 October 2009.
Background In accordance with the Framework Agreement on relations between (...)

13-14 March 2008: Presidency conclusions

This article outlines the conclusions of the Presidency in relation to the European Council meeting held on 13-14 March 2008.
On 13-14 March 2008, EU leaders confirmed commitments in three major areas, namely:
the renewed Lisbon strategy for growth and jobs
climate change and energy
the stability of financial markets
The launch of the second three-year cycle of the Lisbon Strategy for growth and jobs (2008-2010) kicked off with three themes: implementation at national level of current (...)

Commission urges revision of role and governance of European agencies

The European Commission calls for the establishment of an inter-institutional working group to overhaul the role and governance of European agencies.
In 2002 the European Commission adopted a communication on the operating framework for the European Regulatory Agencies. Here, the Commission referred to the White Paper on European Governance that took into account regulatory agencies, meaning independent bodies with their own legal personality, as a means to improve the European Union’s (...)

Infoday on the new EU Public Health Programme, 12 March 2008.

The EPHA Secretariat attended the Infoday on the Call for Proposals of the new EU Public Health Programme in Luxembourg on 12 March 2008.
This day was organised by Public Health Executive Agency (PHEA) in co-operation with DG Sanco. Please find all the presentations from the Information day in Luxembourg on 12 March 2008 available on the PHEA website:
In the morning a general introduction of the new EU Public Health Programme was given to the participants. PHEA, DG Sanco and DG Research (...)

Barroso admits legitimacy problem for Commission President post

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has said that the European elections, regularly marked by voter apathy and low turnout, create a legitimacy problem for his post.
"I really believe we have a problem there," said Mr Barroso responding to a question about whether European citizens should have the power to directly elect the person to fill his post.
He added that: "From a formal point of view, its a perfect system" but admitted that in practice it is different.
Under rules of (...)

The Slovenian presidency launches a portal for NGOs

The Slovenian EU Council Presidency has launched a portal for NGOs increasing the possibilities for them to play a role during the Presidency.
The Slovenian EU Council Presidency has launched a web portal for NGOs outlining and facilitating NGO interventions to the Slovenian Presidency.
The basis for NGO involvement in the Presidency is outlined in the Agreement between the Government communication office and web portal Predsedovanje.si which details the communications envisaged before (...)

The European Consumer Day

15 March 2008 was celebrated as the European Consumer Day. It focused on raising awareness on consumers’ rights, and an EU Consumer Champion award capped the events organised at national level.
Member States were invited to hold national competitions for the best consumer campaign of the year using the the key theme of the European Consumer Day, "know your rights, use your rights". Each Member State would then submit their best consumer campaign to a short-list of the European Commission (...)

**Updated** Food additives such as ’Azo dyes’ require a warning label.

This article has been updated in May 2008 following the vote in the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) Committee of the food additives proposal.
In May 2008, the ENVI Committee in the European Parliament, voted in the second reading of the food additives proposal a requirement for an azo dye warning label following the publication of the Southampton Study. The Southampton Study linked six artificial food colours and the preservative sodium benzoate to hyperactivity in (...)

Slovenian Presidency Conference stresses importance of nutrition and physical activity

In addition to its priority on cancer prevention, the Slovenian Presidency convened a high level conference on nutrition and physical activity to highlight the fight against obesity.
On 11 March 2008, the Slovenian Ministry of Health, organised a conference entitled "Cross-Sectoral Policies for Nutrition and Physical Activity - Implementation and Monitoring" aimed at encouraging cross-sectoral cooperation in relation to nutrition and physical activity policies and monitoring.
Member States (...)

Food production and consumption environments lead to obesity

During the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) on 17 February 2008, Professor W. Philip T. James, chair of the International Obesity Task Force, claimed for a change of the food production and consumption environments is needed to reduce obesity.
Professor W. Philip T. James, chair of the International Obesity Task Force considers obesity a systemic problem requiring changes to the food production and consumption environments, which are making (...)

Commission requires certification for Chinese rice products to stop unauthorised GMO from entering the EU

On 12 February, the European Commission took a decision to require compulsory certification for imports of Chinese rice products that may contain the unauthorized GMO ‘Bt63’.
On 12 February, the European Commission took a decision to require compulsory certification for imports of Chinese rice products that may contain the unauthorized GMO ‘Bt63’. Despite measures announced by Chinese authorities in 2007, the presence of ‘Bt62’ was reported until late (...)

European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Work Plan 2008

The following outlines EFSA’s main priorities for 2008.
In the EFSA Work Plan 2008, the Agency underlined priorities such as:
to streamline the EFSA procedures
to adapt the EFSA working practices to meet the target outputs of scientific opinions and statements to the highest quality standards
to increase its presence and visibility in the EU Member States and consolidate the network of national bodies.
New challenges for EFSA in 2008 will include:
nanoparticles in food
animal cloning (...)

The ongoing CAP reform

Parliament wants more flexibility on CAP reform
A Parliament own-initiative report on Commission proposals to reform the EU’s common agricultural policy (CAP) says Member States need more flexibility to promote local sectors and to decide upon direct aid to provide a safety net in the event of a major crisis.
The report, adopted by an overwhelming majority (510 votes to 88, with 80 abstentions) insists on upholding the concept of a "sustainable, competitive and multifunctional agriculture". (...)

Public consultation on future of EU scheme "Food Distribution to the Most Deprived Persons"

The European Commission has launched a public Internet consultation on the EU scheme to distribute free food to people in need in the Community.
The public is invited to give a feed-back on a number of key questions in relation with the EU programme to distribute free food to the most deprived persons in the Community through a call for contributions to a large internet-consultation. The consultation runs until 14 May.
Since 1986, the European Commission made available some € 2.5 (...)

New publication on the burden of cancer in Europe

A scientific publication entitled "Responding to the challenge of cancer in Europe" was issued to provide policy recommendations for public authorities and stakeholders concerned with the prevention, management and palliation of cancer.
With support from the Slovenian Presidency, a book entitled "Responding to the challenge of cancer in Europe" was issued by the umbrella Fighting Against Cancer Today (FACT) representing internationally-recognised EU public health institutes.
Cancer (...)

Seminar on "Global Substantive Health Issues". 5-6 June 2008

The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) will hold a seminar on "Global Substantive Health Issues" on 5 and 6 June 2008. The seminar will take place at the University of Warwick.
Links between health and human rights have historically been two-fold. First, in terms of access to health care. Second, where human rights abuses, such as torture, have impacted upon health (Mann et al 1999a).
More recently, wider public health issues are also being addressed using rights-based approaches. (...)

Civil Society Forum: " Exchange of Experience and Good Practice”, 19 March, Zagreb

The Office for Cooperation with NGOs of the Government of Republic of Croatia organised a civil society forum entitled "Civil Dialogue in Croatia and Slovenia: Exchange of Experience and Good Practice. EPHA had the possiblity to contribute in the Forum".
By adopting the ’National Strategy for the Creation of an Enabling Environment for Civil Society Development and the Operational Implementation Plan’ in 2006, the Government of the Republic of Croatia has committed itself to take a (...)

Conference on European cities integrating migrants - 7 April 2008 - Brussels

A Conference on "European cities integrating migrants - From Amsterdam to Zagreb: Fostering a dialogue about successful policies" will be hold on 7 April 2008 at the Committee of the Regions.
Background
The CLIP conference is jointly organised by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, the Committee of the Regions, the European Commission and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.
Objectives
Participants will debate (...)

**UPDATED** Public Consultation on Patient Safety

The European Commission launched on 25 March 2008 a public consultation on patient safety.
The consultation aims at developing the Commission’s proposal for on general patient safety issues planned for the end of 2008.The proposal will address the important issue of patient safety throughout the European Union including a specific section on addressing healthcare-associated infections (HCAI), on which separate public consultations have been held.
Two main goals of the Commission’s general (...)

1st European Day on Rare Diseases

29 February 2008 will be remembered as the First European Awareness Day on Rare Diseases. The event is of particular importance since it recognises the cause of rare diseases amongst patients.
The 29 February was chosen as the European Day on Rare Diseases since it is a rare day occurring once every 4 years. The motto for the 2008 European Day is "A Rare Day for Very Special People" and the key message focused on the concept of rare diseases as a public health priority. The event was (...)

An international informal debate on ethics and science

Members of national forums and the European Group in Ethics (EGE) met last February during the 11th Forum of National Ethics Council (NEC) at Brdo, Slovenia. The Forum was organized by the European Commission and the Slovenian National Medical Ethics committee, and provided for an international informal debate in the field of ethics and science.
The leading theme of the NEC Forum-> was the Freedoms and Rights of the individuals in competition with the interests of the society. The meeting (...)

Consultation meeting on Impact Assessments on Smoke-Free Environments. 19 March 2008

On 19 March the European Commission, DG Health and Consumer Protection (DG Sanco), held a consultation meeting to support the Commission’s Impact Assessment on the forthcoming initiative on smoke-free environments.
The goal of the meeting was to have an open discussion and get the comments of the civil society on the likely health, social and economic impacts of various policy options at EU level.
The agenda discussed was:
Introduction Led by Thea Emmerling, DG Health and Consumer (...)

Recent report suggests Tamiflu resistance among seasonal influenza viruses

A study conducted by VIRGIL network suggests Tamiflu resistance in some of the A (H1N1) viruses circulating in Europe.
The EU-funded VIRGIL network and National Influenza Centres have tested 1497 samples of the A (H1N1) flu virus strain between November 2007 and January 2008 in 18 European countries.
Preliminary results from surveillance of antiviral drug susceptibility among seasonal influenza viruses circulating in Europe show that some of the A (H1N1) viruses are resistant to the (...)

Commission’s Joint Report on Social Protection and Inclusion

On 29 February 2008 the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO) Council and the European Commission jointly adopted the 2008 Joint Report on Social Protection and Social Inclusion
Backgroung
The report is based on the Commission proposal for the Joint Report presented on 30th January 2008 (COM/2008/0042final), and adopted with some changes at the 5 February meeting of the Social Protection Committee. The report focuses on priorities and progress made in the (...)